Members of the Syrian Coalition questioned Russia's ability to leverage the outcome of the Sochi Conference in a way that would push the political process forward and implement the substance of international resolutions on Syria.

Secretary of the Coalition’s political committee Yahya Maktabi said that Moscow is not eligible to sponsor a conference on the restoration of peace in Syria as Russian jets continue to target civilians and residential neighborhoods.

Maktabi pointed out that Russia's seriousness in finding a political solution in Syria should have been manifested in the latest round of negotiations in Geneva through pressuring the regime which obstructed the talks and refused to engage in direct negotiations.

Member of the political committee Okab Yahya said that the Russian officials laid down preconditions on the Syrian opposition before announcing the agenda of the upcoming Sochi conference. He noted that these preconditions put many question marks on that conference, let alone Moscow’s negative role in pushing the political process forward.

Yahya reiterated that the Syrian opposition is committed to a political solution through the UN-led Geneva negotiations and in accordance with international resolutions on Syria, most importantly the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 and UN Security Council resolutions 2118 and 2254. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)